The honey cartel
and other stories
Anthony Maiywa
Published by: Loneycommunications.co.ke
Email: hello@loneycommunications.co.ke
Website: www.loneycommunications.co.ke
© Anthony Maiywa,
2021
First published in 2021
All rights reserved. No reproduction without permission.
Acknowledgment: Internet Photos
www.pixabay.com and freepik.com
ISBN: 978-9914-40-158-5
To order this book you can contact the author at the following email
Contents
1. Why dog and man became friends.................................................... 1
2. Old is gold .......................................................................................3
3. The honey badger ............................................................................5
4. The disobedient hyena ..................................................................... 7
5. Kipsioror .......................................................................................... 9
6. The wise old man ........................................................................... 11
7. The rise of Chepkurso ....................................................................13
8. The woman and the leopard ........................................................... 15
1
1
Why dog and man became friends
A long time ago, dog, jackal, fox and hyena lived together. They were very
good friends. They always shared everything they had. The three friends
used to hunt together and share the kill. At night, dog used to bark and
defend the family.
2
After a while, dog became selfish. Whenever dog went to hunt, he used
to hide some meat in the bush .His friends became suspicious. Soon, they
discovered dog’s trick. They advised dog to stop his bad behaviour but he
did not listen to them. Dog’s friends finally decided to chase him away. Dog
found it difficult to live alone. He became very lonely.
Dog decided to stay in a thick forest. One day, he saw a man walking in
the forest. The man had a bow and an arrow. The man was a hunter. Dog
followed him to his hut. From that day, dog protected the man’s hut. Every
night, dog used to bark loudly and fiercely. It chased away intruders. The
hunter felt safe. He began to like dog. Whenever they went out to hunt,
dog was agile and swift in chasing the prey. Dog also became very honest.
He did not hide any meat in the bush. Dog and the hunter became very
good friends. To date dog and man are close friends.
Questions
1. Why did the animals decide to stay together?
2. Why did the other animals chase dog away?
3. What lessons have you learnt from this story?
4. Retell the story in your own words.
5. How did dog and man meet?
3
2
Old is gold
Once there was a pride of lions. The lions were very old. They could not
even go out and hunt. Young lions were boastful and disobedient. They
thought that the elderly lions were as useless as broken pots.
The young lions called for a meeting. At the meeting, they decided that
they would kill all the old lions. They said that the old lions added no value
to the community. One of the young lions was wise. He decided to hide
4
his elderly father in a hut that was far away from their village. The young
lions were determined to kill the old lions. They put all the aged lions in a
cage. After that, they lit a big fire and burnt all of them. As the fire burnt
the old lions, the young lions sang and danced. They made fun of the old
lions who were crying in pain.
One day the young lions were playing. They were in an open field near
the bush. Suddenly, a black snake appeared. It got into the nose of one young
lion. The others got very frightened. None of them knew what to do. The
affected little lion could neither eat nor move with ease.
All the young lions called for a meeting. They talked for a long time
but they could not get a solution to the little lion’s problem. Suddenly, one
of them announced that he had an elderly lion. He told the other young
lions that he was sure the elderly lion could help them. All the other young
lions were surprised.
The young lions took their problem to the elderly lion. He advised them
to get a dead rat and pass it near the nose of the affected little lion. To the
surprise of everyone, the snake rushed out and fell on the ground. It was
then hit and killed. The young lions were happy but also very surprised.
They regretted killing the elderly lions. From there then, the young lions
knew that old is gold.
Questions
1. What lesson have you learnt from this story?
2. Retell the story in your own words.
3. What sound does a lion make?
4. What do we call a young one of a lion?
5. What do we call a female lion?
5
3
The honey badger
There once lived a honey badger called Kipsegem. He loved harvesting
honey from bee hives. He also loved stealing honey from beehives that
belonged to other people. His love for honey was so strong that he kept on
moving from one forest to another.
6
One day he harvested honey from a beehive. He found a queen bee in
the hive. He moved to the next beehive to harvest more honey. When he
inserted his fingers into the hive, he found unpurified honey. He moved to
the next beehive. He found honey combs. Kipsegem felt unlucky.
Kipsegem was determined to get honey. He decided to inspect the last
beehive. As he put his hand into it, he felt a sharp needle-like tongue bite
his finger. It was a venomous snake!
Kipsegem went home. He was taken to a nearby dispensary to seek
treatment. He was attended to and allowed to go home. As days went by,
his health began to deteriorate. He lost weight. The poison spread to all the
parts of his body. No medicine could cure his disease. He became emaciated
and sickly. Finally, he passed on.
Questions
1. What lesson have you learnt from this story?
2. Why did Kipsegem move from one beehive to another?
3. Why did Kipsegem seek treatment?
4. How do we know Kipsegem’s health began deteriorating?
5. What caused Kipsegem’s death?
7
4
The disobedient hyena
Hyena and her children lived together in a forest. They always looked for
food in the forest. They moved up and down the valleys in the forest. One
morning, they went out as usual. They found a carcass. They became very
excited. They fed on it greedily. Hyena warned her children not to take the
carcass home. One of her children disobeyed her.
8
Suddenly, a lion roared loudly in a nearby bush. Hyena and her children
stopped feasting on the carcass. They laughed and ran for their dear lives.
The disobedient young hyena took with him a big piece of meat. When
the lion saw the little hyena, he left the carcass and ran after him. At the
time, the other obedient hyenas were already inside the cave. The little hyena
tried his best to run into the cave. It could not do so easily. The piece of
meat he was carrying slowed him down. The other members of his family
feared that something terrible was about to happen to him.
“Drop it! Leave it! Please, jump in...The lion is about to catch you…”
they cried out.
The young hyena turned a deaf year. The lion pounced on him and
crushed him to pieces. Surely, as you make your bed so you must lie on it.
Questions
1. What sound does a hyena make?
2. Which mistake did the young hyena make?
3. Why did the hyenas run away before eating the carcass?
4. What lesson do we learnt from the story?
9
5
Kipsioror
In the village of Chesarur there was a man called Kipsioror. He made
his mind to go and greet his friend who lived in a neighbouring county.
He woke up at dawn, took a heavy breakfast and began the journey. He
sauntered along the murram road. He was determined to arrive at noon. By
mid-morning, it was sunny and dusty. He felt thirsty and hungry.
Kipsioror could not withstand the urge to drink water. That was why
when he saw water in a dam, he knelt down and sipped it. At the side of the
10
dam, there was a frog. The frog was silent and harmless. Kipsioror quenched
his thirst and continued with journey.
He finally reached his friend’s house .He was welcomed warmly. As he
talked with his friend, lunch was being prepared. Suddenly Kipsioror felt
knots in his stomach. He thought that the pain would go away. Surprisingly,
instead of going away, the pain became unbearable. His friend Kiplaabat
became very worried. He decided to act immediately. He led Kipsioror to
his car and drove him to a nearby heath centre.
Kipsioror suspected that he had swallowed the frog he had seen at the
dam. He felt that the frog was the cause of the pain in his stomach. He tried
to push the thought out of his mind but he couldn’t. They soon arrived at
the health centre.
Kipsioror explained to the doctor how he was feeling. He also told the
doctor about the water he had drunk at the dam and that he suspected that
he had swallowed a frog. The doctor understood Kipsioror’s problem. He
knew it was difficult for one to swallow a frog.
The doctor brought a clean piece of cloth. He then told Kipsioror to
close his eyes. The doctor gave him some tablets to make him vomit. He
instructed him to vomit into a basin. The doctor dashed out. He brought
a dead frog and mixed it with vomit in the basin.
When the doctor removed the piece of cloth from his face, Kipsioror
looked at the basin. He saw a frog.
“I told you! I swallowed a frog!” Kipsioror shouted.
Kiplaabat and the doctor laughed heartily.
Questions
1. Who is Kipsioror in the story?
2. Where did Kipsioror’s friend live?
3. Where did Kipsioror drink water?
4. What problem did Kipsioror encounter in his friend’s house?
5. What lesson have you learnt from the story?
11
6
The wise old man
In the village of Soin there was a woman called Chesamich. She was rude
and unkind to her husband. She was quarrelsome. Her habit made many
people to dislike her. Chesamich knew her weakness. She struggled to stop
her bad ways without any success.
12
Chesamich heard of a wise old man called Chelogoi who lived across
the river. He was a traditionalist. The old man was popular for giving out
traditional medicines of all types. She decided to go and talk to him.
Chesamich visited the old man one morning. When she arrived at his
hut, the old man welcomed her cordially. There were different bottles of
liquid on the floor. Chesamich told the old man all her problems.
The wise old man gave her water-like liquid. Chesamich was supposed
to take it home. He explained to her how to take it. The old man reminded
her to strictly follow his instructions.
Chesamich walked back home. When she arrived home, she followed
the old man’s instructions. As usual, her husband came home complaining,
shouting arrogantly and abusing her.
Chesamich sipped the liquid the wise old man had given her. As she had
been instructed, she did not swallow the liquid. She kept it in her mouth.
As a result, she could not talk. Her husband had nobody to argue with.
The more Chesamich did what the wise old man had told her, the more
peace returned to her home.
Questions
1. What shows that Chesamich was rude and unkind to her husband?
2. What made people to hate Chesamich?
3. How did Chesamich change her bad ways?
4. Retell this story in your own words.
5. Which lesson do we learnt from her?
13
7
e rise of Chepkurso
Once there lived an old woman called Chepkurso. She was elderly and
well known in the whole of her village. She lived near a road. She earned
a living from selling porridge to
travellers. Chepkurso had an only
son. His name was Kiimaiyaat. He
was a drunkard .He was irresponsible
and lazy. He completely depended on
his mother.
Chepkurso always wondered
when she would live and survive like
other villagers. She often never had
enough food in her store. She looked
weak because she could barely feed
herself and her son. Every day, she
asked God for wealth.
One morning, Chepkurso was
very hungry. She came out and
started shouting. Chepkurso’s voice
14
was so sharp that it alerted many people. Her neighbours ran towards her
home. They were eager to know what had happened. She screamed loudly
mumbling words which were not clear.
People could hear Chepkurso saying, “There is and animal in the house!”
His neighbours became anxious and confused. With all manner of
weapons, they streamed into her compound.
Suddenly, Chepkurso said, “If there is no animal in the house, then you
have to guess why I was shouting.”
The villagers shook their heads in surprise. They sat down calmly.
The villagers organized for immediate contribution. They donated maize,
sorghum and millet. The villagers helped Chepkurso with intense generosity.
Chepkurso looked calm and thankful. She was struck with surprise. At last
God had answered her prayers!
From that evening, Chepkurso’s life changed greatly. The village elder
ordered Kiimaiyaat to stop drinking. He encouraged him to practise farming.
Chepkurso was no longer considered a poor woman. She went round the
village thanking everybody. She commanded a certain amount of influence
on her environment.
Questions
1. Why did Chepkurso shout?
2. What was the name of Chekurso’s son?
3. What did the villagers do when they heard Chepkurso shouting?
4. Retell this story in your own words.
5. What lessons have you learnt from this story?
15
8
The woman and the leopard
Taprandich was a prosperous farmer. She grew millet, sorghum and
indigenous vegetables. She lived near a forest.
One day, she went to harvest millet. She worked until late in the
afternoon. It was at noon when she finished harvesting. Suddenly, she
16
heard people yelling and screaming. She stood aghast and tongue tied. Her
ears stood like those of a scared donkey. She stood still.
Taprandich picked her basket and began to leave for home. All of a
sudden, a leopard appeared. Taprandich was scared beyond words. Before
she could do anything, the leopard leapt into her basket. It was panting and
visibly scared. Taprandich made up her mind. She would save the animal.
She folded the basket and hid the animal.
Armed hunters soon got into Taprandich’s farm. One of the hunters
asked her about the whereabouts of the leopard. Taprandich told him that
she had not seen the animal.
The other hunters murmured. They doubted the sincerity of the woman.
Unknown to them, the animal was inside the woman’s basket. It was buried
in the millet grains the woman had harvested. The armed hunters were
sweating profusely. All they wanted was to kill the leopard.
The hunters shook their heads in disappointment and walked back to
the village. Taprandich smiled with satisfaction. She felt she had won. Sadly,
she did not know what lay head of her. When the hunters had disappeared
into the forest, the old lady opened the basket. The leopard was no longer
panting. It was very relaxed. Taprandich noticed that the leopard appeared
tired and weary. Its eyes seemed weak and sickly.
Slowly, the leopard came out of the basket and stretched itself. Swiftly
and without warning, the leopard let out a strange sound. It then pounced
on Taprandich. She tried to scream but the leopard tightened its grip on her
throat. No sound could come out! Finally, she died. Hours later, Taprandich’s
grandchildren wondered why she could not join them for lunch.
That evening, Taprandich’s grandchildren went out to look for her. It
was then that they discovered the remains and clothes of their grandmother
beside her basket. They began and within a short time, a crowd of anxious
villagers gathered around them. The hunters realized that Taprandich had
lied to them.
17
Questions
1. Which crops did Taprandich grow in her farm?
2. What did Taprandich tell the hunters?
3. How did the hunters respond to the lie which Taprandich told them?
4. What lesson have you learnt from this story?
5. As you make your bed so you must lie on it. How is this proverb relevant
to the story?
